Span of Control

Span
of
Controlin
management
and
administration thus refers to the total number of
people (here, subordinates or employees working
under) whom a manager or an administrator can
effectively control and supervise.
Span of Control is also referred by many other
names. It is often known as
'Span of Supervision' or
Span of Management' or
'Span of Attention'.
However, the term 'Span of Management' suits as
the most appropriate name, since control and
supervision are the elements of management.

Definitions of Span of Control

According toLouis Allen,
"Span of control refers to the number of people
that a manager can supervise."
According toProf. Dimock,
"The span of control is the number and range of
direct, habitual communication contacts between
the Chief Executive of an enterprise and his
principal fellow officers."

Advantages of Appropriate Span

of Control
1. Better supervision and control
2. Increases efficiency
3. Increases goodwill
4. Good professional relations
5. Team spirit and morale
6. Good communication and co-ordination
7. Facilitates quick action
8. Less labour absenteeism and turnover
9. Develops discipline and mutual trust
10. Superiors can concentrate on important work

Factors affecting Span of Control

1. Qualification and Qualities
2. Level of Management
3. Nature of Work
4. Superior - Subordinates Relationship
5. Degree of Centralisation
6. Use of Communication Technology
7. Financial position of the Organisation
8. Clearity of Plans and Responsibilities
9. Time available for Subordinates
10. Faith and Trust in Subordinates

Graicunas Theory of Span of Control

Direct Single Relationships,
Direct Group Relationships, and
Cross Relationships.

Example of Graicunas Theory

V.A. Graicunas Theory can be explained with the
help of this simple example.
For example, considerGaurav(G) is a superior
(boss) andManoj(M) andSameer(S) are his
subordinates (juniors or lower-grade employees).

According to V.A. Graicunas, Gaurav (G) has to

control following three types of relationships, with
or among Manoj (M) and Sameer (S): (a) Direct Single Relationships:G with M, and G with S, i.e. a total of 2 direct single
relationships.
(b) Direct Group Relationship:G with M in presence of S, and G with S in presence
of M, i.e. a total of 2 direct group relationships.
(c) Cross Relationships:M with S, and S with M, i.e. again a total of 2 cross
relationships.
Therefore, total number of relationships which
Gaurav (G) has to control are:- 2 + 2 + 2 = 6
relationships.

 If the span of control is narrow, then there will be

many management levels. That is, there will be
many managers. This organisation structure is
called "Tall Organisation Structure.

Advantages of Tall Structure

The quality of performance will improve due to close
supervision.
Discipline will improve.
Superior - Subordinate relations will improve.
Control and Supervision will become easy and
convenient.
The manager gets more time to plan and organise the
future activities.
The efforts of subordinates can be easily coordinated.
Tall Organisation encourages development of staff.
There is mutual trust between superior and
subordinates.

Disadvantages / Demerits / Limitations

of Tall Organisation

Tall Organisation creates many levels of management.

There are many delays and distortion in communication.
Decisions and actions are delayed.
It is very costly because there are many managers. The
managers are paid high salaries.
It is difficult to coordinate the activities of different
levels.
There is strict supervision. So the subordinates do not
have any freedom.
Tall Organisation is not suitable for routine and
standardised jobs.
Here, managers may became more dominating.

 If thespan of controlis wide, then there will be

fewer levels ofmanagement. In other words,
there
will
be
fewer
managers.
Thisorganizationstructure
is
calledFlat
Organisation Structure.

Advantages of Flat Structure

Flat Organisation is less costly because it has only
few managers.
It creates fewerlevels of management.
Quick decisions and actions can be taken because
it has only a few levels of management.
Fast and clear communication is possible among
these few levels of management.
Subordinates are free from close and strict
supervision and control.
It is more suitable for routine and standardised
activities.
Superiors may not be too dominating because of
large numbers of subordinates.

Limitations of Flat Structure

There are chances of loose control because there are many
subordinates under one manager.
The discipline in the organisation may be bad due to loose
control.
The relations between the superiors and subordinates may
be bad. Close and informal relations may not be possible.
There may be problems of team work because there are
many subordinates under one manager.
Flat organisation structure may create problems
ofcoordination between various subordinates.
Efficient and experienced superiors are required to manage
a large number of subordinates.
It may not be suitable for complex activities.
The quality of performance may be bad.